Safety disappearing car and house steps.



H. H. BARSBY. A. G. STEPHENSON & W. C. BROWNE.

SAFETY DISAPPEARING CAR AND HOUSE STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. I9!!- Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

amwmbu H H. BARSBY, A. GLSTEP HENSON & W. C. BROWNE.

SAFETY DISAPPEARING CAR AND HOUSE STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. I9I7- Patented Sept. 25, 191?.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LMWQ.

H. H BARSBY, A. G. STEPHENSON & W. C. BROWNE.

"SAFETY DISAPPEARING CAR AND HOUSE STEPS. APPLICATION-FILED MAR. 6. 1917- Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 in en rat amen I'IA-RRY H. BARSBY, AXEL G. STEPHENSON, AND WILLIAM G. BROWNE, OF DENVER, CQIIORHDOZ SAFETY DISAPPEARING CAR AND HOUSE Specification of Letters Patentat t t 5, 7

Application filed Marthe, 19'17. serial'No; 152,480.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY BARSBY, AXEL G. STEPHENSON, and WILLIAM C, Browne, citizens of the United States, residing at thecity and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Disappearing Car and House Steps; and we do declare the following? to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marl'r'e'd thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention relatesto improvementsin step constructions-and is-especially applicable to street and railway cars, although it may be employed in houses to take theplac'e of the usual basement steps, or in fact it can be used in practically any place where steps are necessary.

Our brincipal object is to present a con stru'ction of this character that when secured in one position will comprise part of the platform of the car or floor of the house, as-the' case may be, and when moved toanother position, will constitute a complete set of steps extending downwardly from the said platform or fioor.- Furthermore, the st'epsproper'are suspended upon a slidably mounted frame-work and means are employedf whereby the frame-work can be extended' beyond the side of the car or outwardly from its normal position wherever used with the steps ei ther'iir their raised or lbwered' position; Also, the extending of the slidably mounted frame and the raising and lowering of the steps can be done simultaneously or independently.

\Vhen our construction is applied to cars by: reason of the fact that the steps can be raised to constitute a portion of the platformand can he'li'owered' only when the car door is opemithcre ispractically no danger of the passengers becoming injured by falling off the said platform. Also, when the steps are in the raised or platfonin-forining positiom'there is less wind'resistance oflered, increased room provided for car and train men to* work in, the steps are prevented from being: knocked off by snow, ice or dirt and trespassersare absolutely prevented L from getting on the car.

Having briefly outlined our improved constructiong we will: proceed to describe the same' in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof. In this drawing Figure 1 is a top' plan View of the platform of thecar equipped with our improved construction, the view to the left in this figure sliowin'g the steps in their raised position, while the view to the right shows the said'steps in their lowered position;

' Fig. 2" is a section taken on the line 2-2 Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig.-

is a section taken on the line 83 Figi2loolti1ig in the direction ofthe arrow.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44L Fig. 2 lookingin the direction of the arrow.

Fig; 5 is a detailed view in section of a modified fO-rm of our construction.

Fig; 6 is a section taken on the line 66 Fig. 4' looking in the direction of the arrow.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views:

ILet the'numeral 5 designate the end of a carof the vestibule type, 6 the portion of the platform: between the openings for the steps, and 7 the portions of the said plat form upon opposite sides of the step openings. Upon: opposite sides of each opening for'the steps-and secured to the under surface of the platform portion 7 are two frame supports 8 and 9 each having a part 10 pro jecting' inwardly therefrom and provided with a reduced neck portion 12' whereby upper and lower grooves are formed.

Slidably mounted upon the supports 8 and 9 is a framework which supports our improved step construction; The sides of this framework are" formed of channel shaped bars 13, the upper and lowerhorizontalljy disposed flanges of each of said bars being. provided with projections ll ex tending toward each other and adapted to respectively engage the upper and lower grooves formed in the supports 8 and 9. Therear'extremities of the bar-s13 are connected byv aflat bar or plate 15, one extrenr ity of the'latter at its upper edge being provided with a rearwardly extending horizontally disposed part 165.

A lever 17 is fulcrumed at 18 on the platform 6 0i the car and its lower extremity is pivotally connected at 19 with the: rear extremity of a link 20, the opposite extremity of the latter being pivotally connected with one of the channel bars 13 as shown at 21.

J ournaled in the upper inner extremities of the frame bars 13 is a shaft 22 and rigidly mounted upon the extremities of the latter and adjacent the said frame bars 13 respectively are two members 23 between which the steps are secured. Rods 24 extend between the members 23 and have their extremities securely mounted therein near the upper edges of the latter,-there being three rods disclosed in this case, although the number may vary according to the length of the members 23 and the number of steps necessary.

Steps are located between the members 23, each step composed of a single sheet of material comprising a horizontally disposed thread portion 26 and a vertically disposed portion 27, the sheet of material between the portions 26 and 27 being folded upon itself to form an eye adapted to receive one of the rods 24. Rods 28 also extend between the members 23 and have their extremities mounted therein, the said rods adapted to engage the under surfaces of the rear extremities of the tread portions 26 of the steps and act as additional supporting means to maintain thelatter in the horizontal position. To the lower rear side of the step portions 27 and approximately midway between their extremities are attached projections 29 whose lower extremities are bifurcated and perforated (see Fig. 3). A lug 30 is attached to the lower edge of the plate or bar 15 which connects the side bars 13 of the frame and is in alinement with the projections 29, the lower extremity of this lug being also bifurcated and perforated, and adapted to be pivotally connected at 31 with one extremity of a link 32, the latter being pivotally connect ed intermediate its extremities at 33 with the bifurcated extremity of the projection 29 secured to the upper or inner-most step portion 27. The opposite extremity of the link 32 is pivotally connected as shown at 34 with one end of a second link 35, the other end of the latter being pivotally connected at 36 with the projection 29 attached to the lower or outer-most step portion 27. Intermediate the pivotal connections 34 and 36, the link 35 is pivotally connected at 37 to the bifurcated arojection 29 of the middle step portion Upon the opposite extremities of the lower or outer-most step portion 27 are secured perforated lips 38 which support a rod 39 and bent around this rod is the rear extremity of a fiat plate 40, the latter being loosely mounted upon the said rod 39. Arch shaped plates 41 are secured at their lower extremities to the under surface of the ends of the plate 40 as disclosed at 42, the said plates 41 being prowardly projecting flanges 44. Now assuming that the plate 40 is in a position disclosed to the right in Fig. 2 and the step construction is raised (by mechanism hereinaf ter described), as the step construction approaches its upward limit of movement, the flanges 44 of the slotted plates 41 will be engaged by downwardly projecting fingers 45 attached to the side bars 13 of theframework whereby as the step construction continues to move upwardly, the plate 40 will be folded, upwardly upon its pivot 39, and when the said step construction is in its raised position, the said plate will assume the position disclosed in full lines (Fig. 5). In the channel shaped bars 13 are located respectively shafts 46 and 47 which are j ournaled therein and their rear extremities project beyond the rear plate or bar 15 of the frame-work. Rigidly secured, to the rear extremity of the shaft 46 is one end of a short arm 48 and its opposite end is pivotally connected at 49 to one extremity of a link 50, the opposite extremity of the latter being pivotally connected at 51 to the lower extremity of a foot lever 52 which is fulcrumed upon theplate 15 as disclosed at 53, the upper extremity of the lever 52 projecting through an opening 54 in the platform of the car and is flattened as shown at 55.

Also rigidly secured to the rear extremity of the shaft 46 is another short arm. 56, one

extremity of which is pivotally connected as shown at 57 with one end of a rod 58, the opposite end of the latter being pivotally connected at 59 with the-lower extremity of a short arm 60 whose upper extremity is rigidly secured to the rear extremity of the shaft 47. The rod 58 is provided with an eye 61 to which one end of a coiled spring 62 is attached, the opposite ends of the latter being secured to the plate 15 as disclosed at 63.

Fingers 64 have their lower extremities rigidly connected with the shafts 46 and 47, their upper extremities projecting inwardly and are adapted to engage perforations 65 formed in the side members 23 and corresponding perforations formed in the respective frame bars, 13, there being disclosed a series of three perforations in each of said side members. These fingers are adapted to engage the side members 23 to normally support the latter in the raised position.

Directly under the flattened extremity 55 of the foot lever 52 and beneath the platform of the car is located a plate 66 supported as shown at 67 and having two upwardly projecting lugs 68. and 69 Wh h extend through openings 70 and 71 respeetively formed in. the platform of the car. The outer extremity of this plate is pivotally connected at 72 with one extremity of a rod 73 whose opposite extremity is pivotally connected at 74 with a central portion of a lever 75 whose lower extremity is pivotally mounted as disclosed at 7 6. A coiled spring 77 has one end attached to the rod 73 at 78 and its other end to the plate support 67 which is stationary, said connection taking place at 79.. The coiled spring 77 will normally maintain the mechanism just described in the full line position shown in F 6, and when the said mechanism is in this normal position, the foot lever 52 is free to be depressed for releasing the fingers 65f from the members 23 whereby the step construction can be lowered by manipulating a lever 80 which is detachably connected with the polygonal shaped extremity of the shaft 22 and by means of which the latter can be rocked. However, it is only possible to depress the foot lever 52 for producing the above result when the door 8l'of the car is open as shown to the right in Fig. 1, since when the door is closed it will engage the lever 7 5 and rock it upon its pivot 76 until the mechanism disclosed in Fig. 6 is moved to the dotted line position in said figure which will bring one of the lugs 68 or 69 I directly under the flattened extremity of the foot lever 52 and thus prevents the depressing of the latter, and whether the lug 68 or 69 is located beneath the foot lever 52 depends upon whether the step supporting frame is in its normal or extend'ed'position.

In the construction disclosed in Fig. 5, the lever 17 and the link 20 are eliminated and in place thereof are substituted curved links 82, their inner extremities being pivotally connected at 83 with brackets attached to the frame-work of the car and'their outer extremities pivotally connected at 84kwith the side bars 13 of the slidable frame. By

virtue of this arrangement, when the lever 80 is manipulated to lower the steps, the frame from which the said steps are suspended is simultaneously extended, whereas in the construction disclosed in the other figures, the lowering of the steps and the extending of: the frame are independent operations.

for the steps, thus obviating the necessity for employing a trap door to cover said opening. When the car is stopped along side the station, if the platform of the latter is on a level with the platform of the car, it will not be necessary to lower the steps, but'to only move the lever 17 to the position shown to the right in Figs. 1 and 2 whereby the steps supporting frame will be extended bodily to bridge the space between the side of the car and the station platform, it being understood that during this operation the steps remain in the full line position shown to the left in Fig. 2. In this connection, attention is called to the plate 85 which is loosely mounted upon the shaft 22 and extends inwardly and overlaps the platform portion 6 to a considerable extent, and thus when the frame is extended as just described, this plate 85 will bridge the space between the rear extremity of the frame-work and the portion 6 of the platform. In view of this arrangement passengers can step directly from the car platform on to the platform of the station, without the least inconvenience or liability to injury.

If the passengers are to alight upon the ground or a platform close to the latter, the steps will be lowered to the position disclosed in full lines to the right of Fig. 2. In order to lower these steps, it is first necessary to open the door 81 which will release the lever 75 and allow theplate 66 to assume the full line position in Fig. 6, the spring 7 7 acting on the rod 73 to return the said plate to this position. The foot lever 52' can now be depressed to rock the shafts 4L6 and l7 to release the fingers ca from the perforations in the side step members 23 after which the lever 80 can be applied to the polygonal shaped extremity of the shaft 22 and this shaft rocked so as to extend the members 23 downwardly which will move the step portions proper to the positions shown to the right of Fig. 2. Of course, by rocking the shaft 22 in the opposite direction the members 23 will be raised and return the steps to their normal or platformforming position, in which position they will be secured by the fingers 64: springing through the perforations formed in the side members 23, these fingers being normally held under tension at their inward limit of movement by the spring 62.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a shaft j ournaled in the sides of said opening, members having one extremity rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps mova-bly secured between said members, and means adapted to be applied to one extremity of the shaft for raising and lowering the members.

2. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a shaft loosely journaled in the sides of said opening, members having one extremity rigidly connected with said shaft, rods extending between said members and having their extremities rigidly mounted therein, parts adapted to constitute steps movably mounted upon said rods, said parts composed of horizontally and vertically disposed portions, and means adapted to'be applied to one extremity of the shaft for raising and lowering the step supporting members, the horizontal portions of the parts mounted between the latter adapted to close the opening and form a portion of the floor or platform when the said supporting members are in the raised position.

In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a shaft journaled in the sides of said opening, members having one extremity rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between said members and composed of horizontally and vertically disposed portions, means adapted to be applied to one extremity of the shaft for raising and lowering the members, means for locking the latter in the raised position, and means for releasing said locking means.

4:. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in the walls of said opening, a shaft journaled in the inner extremity of the frame, members having their inner extremities rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between the said members, and means for extending the frame and for raising and lowering the step supporting members.

5. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in the walls of said opening, a shaft journaled in the inner extremity of the frame, members having their inner extremities rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between the said members and composed of horizontally and vertically disposed portions, means pivotally connected with the inner cross bar of the frame and also pivotally connected with the vertically disposed portions of the step parts, means for extending the frame, and means for raising and lowering the step supporting members.

6. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in the walls of said opening, a shaft journaled in the inner extremity of the frame, members having their inner extremities rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between the said members and composed of horizontally and vertically disposed portions, links pivotally connected with each other and pivotally connected with the vertically disposed portions of thestep parts, the inner extremity of one link being pivotally connected to the inner cross bar of the frame, means for extending the latter, and means for raising and lowering the step supporting members.

7. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening,'of a frame slidably mounted in the walls of said open ing, a shaft journaled in the inner extremity of the frame, members having their inner extremities rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between the said members, means for extending the frame and raising and lowering the step supporting members, means mounted on the frame and adapted to enter perforations formed in the said step supporting members for locking the latter in the raised position, and means also mounted on'the frame for releasing said locking means. b

8. In combination with a platformof a car said platform being provided with an opening, of a frame slidably'mounted in said opening, a shaft journaled in the inner extremity of the frame, members having their inner extremities rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably secured between the said members, means for extending the frame and raising and lowering the step supporting members, means mounted 011 the frame and adapted to enter perforations formed in the said step supporting members for locking the latter in the raised position, means also mounted on the frame for releasing said locking means and means located in the platform directly beneath said releasing means, and provided with a part adapted to be engaged by the doorof the car to prevent the release of the locking means until the door is opened.

9. In combination with the platform of a car said platform being provided with an opening, of' a shaft journaled in the sides of said opening, members having one extremity rigidly connected with said shaft, parts adapted to constitute steps movably' secured between said members, means adapted to be applied to one extremity of the shaft for raising and lowering the members, means for locking the latter in the raised position, means for releasing said locking means, and a third means adapted to cooperate with the releasing means and provided with apart adapted to be engaged by the door of the car whereby the locking means cannot be released until the door is opened.

10. In combination with a surface provided with an opening, of a step supports ing member slidably mounted in said opening in the same plane as that of the said surface, and means for moving said member in a horizontal plane.

11. In combination with a floor orplatform provided with an opening of a frame slidably mounted in said opening, members adapted to form steps adjustably supported by said frame, and means'for bodily moving the said frame and step members in a horizontal plane.

12. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, a frame slidably mounted in said opening, members adapted to form steps adjustably supported by said frame, and means for moving the said frame horizontally and for simultaneously raising and lowering the steps.

13. In combination with a floor or the like, provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in said opening, members adapted to form steps adjustably supported by said frame, the said steps when in one position of adjustment constituting a portion of the floor, and means for moving the said frame horizontally with the steps in said position of adjustment.

1%. In combination with a platform or the like provided with an opening of a frame slidably mounted in said opening, steps adjust-ably supported by said frame, and means for moving the latter horizontally and lowering the steps.

15. In combination with aplatform or the like provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in said opening, steps adjustably supported by said frame,

and means for moving the latter horizontally and raising the steps.

16. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of members adapted to support steps adjustably mounted in said opening, and means supported by the saidfloor or platform and adapted to enter perforations formed in the step supporting members for locking the lat ter in a raised position.

17. In combination with a floor or platform provided with an opening, of a frame slidably mounted in said opening, members adapted to support steps adjustably mounted in said frame, and means supported by the latter and adapted to enter perforations formed in the step supporting members for locking the latter in a raised position.

18. In combination with the platform of a car, said platform being provided with an opening, of members adapted to support steps adjustably mounted in said opening,

means supported by the platform for locking said members in a raised position, means also supported by the platform for releasing said locking means, and other means adapted to cooperate with the door of the car to prevent the locking means from being released until the said door is opened.

19. In combination with the platform of a car or the like, said platform being provided with an opening, of members adapted to support steps adjustably mounted in said opening, means supported by the platform and adapted to enter perforations formed in the step supporting members for locking said members in a raised position, means also supported by the platform for 1eleas ing said locking means, and other means adapted to cooperate with the door of the car to prevent the locking means from being released until the said door is opened.

20. The combination of a floor or platform provided with an opening and members adapted to constitute steps adjustably mounted in said opening, each of said members comprising a single piece of material bent upon itself, one portion of which is adapted to constitute the tread of the step and the other portion the riser.

21. The combination of a floor or platform provided with an opening, members adapted to constitute steps adjustably mounted in said opening, a part constituting an auxiliary step hingedly connected with one of the first named steps, and means for lowering and raising the main step members, the auxiliary step automatically collapsing during the said raising movement.

22. In combination with a platform of a car, said platform being provided with an opening, of a member slidably mounted in said opening in the same plane as that of the platform, and adapted to constitute a portion of the latter and means for moving said member in a horizontal direction.

23. In combination with a platform provided with an opening of a member slidably mounted in said opening and adapted to constitute a portion of the platform, and means for moving said member laterally to project a portion thereof beyond the edge of said platform.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY II. BARSBYI AXEL G. STEPHENSON. WILLIAM G. BROWNE. Witnesses:

MARY I-Iroerns, A. EBERT OBRLEN.

' Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

